The ambitious Habiba Fatima

“The best gift from a father to his child is education and good upbringing, and that’s why … I never denied her opportunities to learn whatever she wanted to. Instead I decided to encourage her to expand her interests by providing her with the best quality education available to make her successful so she can move along with society.”-Mr. Rao Afzal Ali, father of Habiba Fatima

Her young age and petite disposition notwithstanding, Habiba Fatima has a tenacious desire to work and contribute towards the household income in order to help her parents. This self-belief is anchored in her appreciation of her parent’s commitment, who despite the constraints on their time and health, were and are a source of constant support. Habiba’s parent’s blessing instilled in her a desire and drive to explore opportunities of intellectual and professional growth, and this journey brought her to NOWPDP’s doors.

When she learnt about an opportunity to learn graphic designing – a field that piqued her interest – at PACC, Habiba quickly enrolled in the course, thus adding more work on top of her intermediate classes at Ida Rieu College. This constant juggling of the workload of both the programs (and the household according to her father) was not always easy, but she persevered, and performed brilliantly in both. Habiba was one of the best students in her batch, and is beginning to think on the lines of pursuing graphic designing as a career after completing her studies. Never one to shy away from an opportunity to learn and glean more, she traversed the length and breadth of the sprawling metropolis of Karachi to various motivational sessions conducted by NOWPDP and women empowerment workshops/sessions through NOWPDP. These sessions have allowed Habiba to connect her theoretical knowledge with practical experiences, which have aided in further opening her mind to a multitude of opportunities.

Her father says that the impact from both the training and exposure to various speakers is apparent and in his words: ‘There is nothing she feels she cannot do now.’

Habiba Fatima is hearing impaired/deaf; and in her own words:

“I have always been an avid learner and one thing was clear – I will not allow my disability to stop me from dreaming. I aspire for a management position at an office, perhaps as a graphic designer – a dream I see coming true thanks to NOWPDP. I not only completed my graphic designing course at PACC but was also asked to assist my teacher as an intern.”